"Konoha's Dimensional Pirate: Reborn Uchiha Gin"

"Sakumo's Ninja Kenjutsu Technique? That's great! I'd like to study it too," said Hikari with a nod of interest.

She had invested the last few years deeply in mastering the sword style of the Pirate World, so the prospect of a hybrid approach fascinated her.

"No problem!" Gin replied. "I can teach you. I've already reached a high level—just a few more days and I'll reach complete mastery. Or you can learn directly from Sakumo himself. I arranged it with him—he'll be teaching both his Ninja Sword Technique and the Hatake Freedom Style at one of the Uchiha bases, either in Konoha or the Pirate World."

It had been part of the agreement made before the formal signing of the inter-world contract. Even so, Gin acknowledged something openly.

"The sword techniques of the Pirate World… they're of a completely different caliber. In truth, the depth of their system surpasses even Hatake's style or our own ninja sword techniques. They operate on a different ceiling entirely."

"What? You're already at that level? But didn't you just start learning?" Hikari, Mikoto, and several others expressed surprise.

Gin shrugged and nonchalantly tossed a piece of grilled meat into his mouth.

"When you have a foundation in the Pirate World's sword style, other styles come much easier. The key is to perfect the basics—to understand the intention behind the sword. Once you've refined that, you can pull the essence from other techniques and forge your own path."

"The foundation is everything," Gin continued. "Even my kendo teacher, Koshiro, never perfected the basics—he reached a high level, yes, but he didn't complete the path."

That had changed in recent years. After Gin had reminded him, Koshiro had spent the last two years focusing purely on honing his fundamental sword forms.

"So that's the key…" Hikari murmured, nodding in realization. "I should spend more time on the foundational techniques."

Minato and Mikoto exchanged a glance, silently resolving to reallocate their training schedules to reinforce their basics. So far, they had only attained proficiency—not perfection.

"Speaking of contracts," Hikari suddenly shifted the topic, "many of the returned ninja have already reached the required Favor Level. When do you plan to start contracting them?"

"With more personnel, we can begin pushing forward in the Pirate World in earnest."

After all, no one said the Ninja World needed to be unified before advancing in the Pirate World. The two efforts could run in parallel—each complementing the other.

Konoha's expansion would only deepen its dependence on the Pirate World's resources—especially in areas like Sea King meat and powerful beast materials. Strategic territory and influence needed to grow hand in hand.

Besides, the Ninja World had entered a period of relative peace. Iwagakure and Sunagakure had been quiet for years. Kumogakure and Kirigakure had taken a wait-and-see approach. Konoha had at least a few years of breathing room for stable development.

"Hm…" Gin tapped his fingers thoughtfully. "We'll start the day after tomorrow. I'll begin summoning individuals and forming contracts one by one."

He paused, eyes glinting.

"As for development in the Pirate World… Mom, what do you think about taking an entire country?"

Everyone blinked. The room fell silent.

A bold proposal—but not without logic.

Owning a country in the Pirate World came with immense strategic benefits. Gin needed a proving ground for political and administrative reforms. Waiting to conquer the entire world before experimenting with governance structures would be inefficient—and possibly too late.

This would be a controlled environment to test and prepare for future unification and dual-world governance. It would also serve as an elite training hub for managers, governors, civil officers, and economic planners.

Once the Ninja World was unified, there would be a desperate need for skilled officials in every sector. The old bureaucracy couldn't be relied on. But if Gin could train capable administrators in parallel, using the Pirate World's population and infrastructure, the burden on Konoha would lighten immensely.

Yes, the Ninja Academy and civilian school reforms were underway. But Gin feared that wouldn't be enough in the short timeframe he had allotted: ten years to unite the world.

A full country in the Pirate World—with millions of citizens—offered a massive advantage. Even if Konoha eventually grew into a metropolis with over a million inhabitants, it still couldn't compare to the nation-building potential of an entire pirate-world territory.

"What?" Mikoto blinked. "You mean… actually establish a nation?"

Hikari folded her arms thoughtfully. "I see what you're thinking. It's a smart approach—benefits both worlds simultaneously. But where would you start? Which country?"

She listed the variables. "Are you thinking of something in the Four Blues? The first half of the Grand Line? Or the New World?"

The complexity of each region varied wildly. They needed to proceed with care.

"How about Drum Island?" Kushina offered.

"No," Gin answered quickly, shaking his head.

"Drum is a member of the World Government. They won't just watch us take over. And even if they did, it's a poor candidate."

"First, it's a winter island—the harsh climate limits industrial growth. Second, it's too small and sparsely populated. Third, unless we're willing to remain under the World Government and pay the Heavenly Tribute, they'll retaliate."

"Right now, we can't afford to reveal our full strength to the World Government. So any island under their control is off the table. We need an independent country."

Gin had other plans for drawing the World Government's attention—he would let Monkey D. Dragon begin organizing the Revolutionary Army publicly to serve as the perfect distraction.

Until then, Konoha needed to work in the shadows.

"How about the Sky Islands?" Minato suggested. "They're beyond the reach of the Blue Sea and mostly untouched by the World Government. The total population across them is in the millions. Seems like an ideal starting point for founding a hidden nation."

"The only issue," he added, "is the local population. The native Skypieans have wings—we don't. Would that cause issues with administration?"

Over the years, thanks to Gin's contracts with various intelligent animals—including Black the baby dragon, the Millennium Dragon, and joint efforts from the Uchiha and Senju clans—they had mapped out much of both worlds, including most of the valuable and inhabited Sky Islands.

At least 2 million people lived up there. Not a vast number, but still more than Konoha's current population of 300–400 thousand.

"The Sky Islands…" Gin echoed, glancing at Hikari. They both nodded slowly.

"It's an option worth considering."

"As for the racial issue…" Gin murmured. "It's manageable. If we dismantle institutions like the Church of the Gods on Birka and provide the common people with a better life, acceptance will come naturally."

"Exactly," Minato agreed with a smile. He'd spent time among the Skypieans and knew—ordinary people cared less about wings and more about justice, opportunity, and survival. When oppressed, they rebelled. When protected, they followed.

"I propose the Land of Wano," Mikoto suddenly said. "It's culturally aligned with the Ninja World. Their traditions mirror our own. Even though they have no real shinobi, it's the perfect seedbed for our vision."

"Especially now. Wano is isolated—cut off from the world. If we stir things up or begin sweeping reforms, we can contain the fallout. With control of the entrance point, the World Government won't hear a thing."

"Besides," Mikoto added, "the people are already suffering under Kaido and Orochi. They're ready for change. If we liberate them, they'll stand with us."

"But Kaido is no minor obstacle," she admitted. "We'd need to completely defeat or kill him. And take down his entire crew."

She turned to Hikari. "Aunt Hikari, can you, Lady Mito, the First Hokage, and the others take on Kaido?"

Hikari furrowed her brow.

"We can try," she said. "But without fighting someone at a Yonko's level before, it's hard to say. Kaido's body and regeneration are monstrous—he's called the strongest creature for a reason."

"We might be able to defeat him, but killing him… that's another matter."

"I wonder how he responds to Genjutsu?" she added. "If he's vulnerable to illusions, we may have an opening. But we can't go in blind. We need to test him first."

She paused before continuing.

"Also, remember—defeating Kaido and taking over Wano is one thing. Killing him is another. If we spare him, he'll likely bide his time and seek revenge. Given his personality, he might even join forces with Big Mom."

"And if we beat both Kaido and Big Mom, that'll draw the full attention of the World Government and every major power. There'll be no more secrecy. No more quiet development. That would derail everything we've planned."

"But if we kill him," Hikari said slowly, "it ends his threat… but triggers the same global attention."

"If we just overthrow him and isolate Wano, we can maintain secrecy. The key is to keep the country sealed and prevent CP0 and others from getting in."

She turned to Gin.

"So? What's your decision? Do we try to take Wano?"

All eyes turned to him.

Waiting.

Expectant.

His answer could set the stage for an empire across two worlds.

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To be continued...